1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to collapsible baggage and methods of collapsing and expanding baggage. More particularly, this invention pertains to structural components of baggage that can be reconfigured between expanded and collapsed configurations in a manner such that the baggage can be collapsed when not in use and such that the baggage have structural integrity when in use.
2. General Background
Most people prefer their travel baggage to be fairly rigid so as to minimize the wrinkling of clothes placed therein and to provide protection for the contents. However, in general, rigid baggage takes up just as much space when not in use as it does in use. Thus, there is a need for collapsible baggage that are also structurally rigid when expanded for use. As such, various attempts to address these issues have resulted in numerous baggage designs that comprise some form of selectively collapsible structure. An example of such a baggage is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,084. An issue pertaining to such baggage is that they are not sufficiently strong when expanded to avoid being damaged when handled by modern automated airport luggage transfer systems. Additionally, many prior art collapsible baggage are not sufficiently easy to collapse and expand, and in some configurations the structural components hinder or interfere with the accessibility of the interior of the baggage.